Rail anchor



April 1930- c. B. SHEPHERD 1,756,071

RAIL ANCHOR Filed May 17, 1928 INVENTOR Patented Apr. 29, 1930 I a I UNITEDISTATES PATENT OFFICE CHARLES B. SHEPHERD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE ."P & M COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS RAIL ANCHOR Application filed May 17, 1928. Serial No. 278,364.

'This'invention relates to those devices de- In the embodiment illustrated, it is shown as signed to prevent the longitudinal creeping an upstanding lip, its inner surface 5 being of rails and known as rail anchors. adapted to engage the vertical edge of a rail This invention has for an object a rail base flange.

5 anchor which can be manufactured very The rail flange-engaging means 4 com- 55 cheaply and is capable of being applied to a prises a jaw 6 adapted to engage the upper rail with either side next to the cross-tie surface of a rail base flange and exert a downwithout applying as rights and lefts or havward pressure thereon. The shape of this ing to apply one anchor from the middle of jaw may be of any form or contour. Prefthe track on one rail and the opposite anchor erably, I make it with an angle correspond- 60 from the outside of the track on the other ing substantially to the inclination of the uprail. per surface of the rail base flange which it is Another object of this invention is a rail intended to engage and grip. Disposed beanchor having a substantially triangularneath this jaw 6 is a jaw 7 adapted to engage shaped spring loop adapted when applied to the bottomsurface ofarailbaseflange at points exert resilient pressure transversely of the substantially opposite to the points engaged rail and also provide a relatively yieldable on the upper surface of said flange by the jaw portion which facilitates the application of 6. These two jaws are spaced so that a rail the anchor to a rail. base flange may be received therebetween Other objects will appear from the followwithout the application of great applying ing description, appended claims and the acforce until it reaches an imaginary vertical companying drawings in which: plane 8, through the points 9 and 10 (Figs. 2 Figure 1 illustrates the rail anchor conand 3). Further applying movement of the stituting this invention applied in position rail anchor, for example, movement of the de- 7 on the base portion of a railroad rail, the vice from the position shown in Fig. 2 to the said rail base being shown in section. position shown in Fig. 1, is effected by a driv- Figure 2 illustrates one of the positions ing force and causes the aws 6 and 7 to tightassumed by the anchor in the course of its lywedge and securely grip the top and hot- 0 application to a rail base, the rail base being tom surfaces of the base flange embraced. A

shown in section. curved member 11 joins or connects the up- Figure 3 is a side elevation of the anchor per and lower jaws and is spaced from and illustrating the distortion of the arm and does not engage the vertical edge of the rail loop portions of the anchor (in'dotted lines) base flange gripped by the jaw. Normally,

after the anchor has been applied to its 01)- the distance between rail engaging surfaces erative position on a rail. of the jaws 6 and 7 and flange-engagmg sur- 'Referring to the drawings wherein an emface 5 of the lip 2 when the anchor is free of bodiment of my invention is illustrated, there the rail, is such that it is necessary to increase is disclosed a rail anchor which is capable of the effective length of the arm to permit en- 40 being formed by bending hot a single piece gagement of the lip 2 over the edge of the of bar steel,.preferably rectangular in crossbase flange. This increase in the eifective section. The reference numeral 1 designates length of the arm 1 is effected by the tendency I a body member or arm adapted to extend which the upward pressure of the arm 1 transversely beneath the bottom surface of against the bottom of the rail has to open or the rail base flange. Disposed on opposite spread the arms 12 and of the sprlng loops ends of the body member are the rail flange.- as shown in dotted l nes in Fig. 3.

engaging means 2 and a substantially As previously pointed out, the body memtriangular-shaped loop or spring member 3 her 1 and the aw 7 are oined together by on which there is disposed a rail fiange-enmeans of the substantially triangular loop 3.

gaging means 4. The rail flange-engaging This latter portion of the anchor comprises means 2'may be of'any desired shape or form. the legs 12 and 13 and the base member 14.

" normally in contact, r

The horizontal base member 14, is preferably straight as illustrated in the drawings so as to provide a relatively wide tie abutting portion, but this particular portion of the loop may be made of any other suitable configuration. The legs 12 and 13 are preferably curved, as illustrated in the drawings, and substantially so, at their upper extremities when the anchor is free of the. rail. Due to the arrangement and 7 design of the parts, legs 12 and 13 contact at their curved portions during the initial position of the anchor on the rail base flange (Fig. 2) but are spread apart slightly by the down ward flexing of the arm 'l during thefurther applying movement. When applied to the rail the triangular. spring member als ofunc-H VldeCl with a relatively straight base and contions as a tie-abutting means. 7

To increase the holding grip and pressures exerted by the anchor when in position on a rail base flange, various parts of the anchor are disposed to exert different pressures. The portion15 of the arm or body member 1 adjacent the lip 2 is normally disposed in a plane higher than the plane occupied by the body member 1 but is flexed downwardly as above mentioned during its final applying movement. The lower jaw is also formed to lie in a plane higher than the inner portion of the body member 1, which may be, if desired,

the same plane. as occupied by the portion 15.

' applied tothe anchor by any suitable means,

such as by strlklng the triangular spring member 3 on the outer surface of the curve 16 with sledge or spike maul. Continued application ofpressure causesthe lip 2 of the armmember 1 to clear the edge of the rail base. flange and snap into position.

After application, the forces and pressure becoming distributed throughout the anchor,

' the triangular spring member in tendingxto resume its normal position exerts a spring force transversely of the rail; When applied in position, the anchor will exert a powerful transverse pressure at 5 and an upward pressure at 7 .and 15. Downward pressure will be exerted by the aw 6. The anchor above descr bed is economical I and cheap to manufacture. In position on a rail base flange it functions very efliciently. The manner or mode of application is simple and easy. Due to its design, it is capable of being applied to a rail with either side next to, the cross-tie without applying as rights and lefts. With my anchor it is not necessary to apply one anchor from the middle of the track on one rail and the opposite anchor from the outside of the track on the other rail. My

anchor may be applied from either or both' verging legs which give the loop. a triangularconfiguration. I c i 2. A rail anchor comprising oppositely disposed rail base flange-engaging means and a substantially triangular-shaped spring member disposed between said rail base flangeengaging means, said spring memberhaving its legs spacedapart whenapplied to a rail and adapted to contact with each other when free of the rail. I

A rail anchor comprisingoppositely disposed rail base flange-engaging means and a substantially triangular-shaped spring member disposed between said rail base flangeengaging means to provide resilience transversely of the rail and a relatively wide tie abutment, said spring member having outwardly curved legs which converge toward their upper ends. 1

4. A rail anchor comprising oppositely disposed rail base flange-engaging means and a substantially triangular-shaped spring mem;

ber disposed between said rail base flange-engagmg means, said sprlng member having curved legs, the upper ends of said legs being in contact when the anchor is free of the rail posed rail base flange-engaging means and a substantially triangular-shaped spring member disposed between said rail base 'fiangeengaging means, said spring memberhaving curved legs, the upper ends of said legs being normally spaced apart whenin applied position on the rail and adapted to contact with each other when free ofv the rail. i

i 6. A rail anchor comprising oppositely. disposed rail base flange-engaging means and a substantially triangularshaped spring mem-. ber disposed between said rail base flangeengaging means, said sprng member having curved legs, the upper endsof said legs being normally spaced apart when in applied position on a rail and adapted to contact with each other at their curved portions during the initial application of said anchor to a rail base flange.

7. A rail anchor comprising oppositely disposed rail base flange-engaging means and a substantially triangular-shaped spring member disposed between said rail base flangeengaging means, said spring member having curved legs, the upper ends of sald'legs being a normally spaced apart when the device is in its applied position and adapted to contact with each other at their curved portions during the initial applied position of said anchor to a rail base flange and assume their normally spaced apart position after application.

8. A rail anchor comprising a body member, rail flange-engaging means disposed on one end thereof, a substantially triangularshaped spring member having a straight base and connected at one end thereof to the other end of said body member, said spring member having legs normally spaced apart when in applied position on a rail, and rail flangeengaging means disposed on said spring member.

9. A rail anchor comprising a substantially triangular-shaped spring member having curved legs, said legs being normally spaced apart when the anchor is in its applied position and adapted to contact with each other at their curved portions during the initial application of said anchor to a rail base flange, a body member disposed on one of said legs, a jaw adapted to engage a rail base flange disposed on the other leg, and a lip adapted to engage a rail base flange disposed on the other end of said body member.

10. A rail anchor comprising a substantially triangularshaped spring member having a straight base and converging legs, said legs being normally forced apart, by the applying force, from a position normally in contact with each other at their curved portions during the initial application of said anchor to a rail base flange and to assume said spaced position after application, a body member disposed on one of said legs, a jaw adapted to engage a rail base flange disposed on the other leg, and a lip adapted to engage a rail base flange disposed on the other end of said body member.

In testimony whereof, I have affixed my signature to this specification.

CHARLES B. SHEPHERD. 

